And who might you be, Sir?

The colonies in the 19th century provided a delightful playground for any number of bounders, rogues, rascals, and cads. All one really needed was an English accent and an air of authority, and the far-flung, gullible colonials would open their pocketbooks and parlours. An Englishman who liked to pose as an aristocrat married a goodContinue reading “And who might you be, Sir?”

The Crew of the Hopeful

Contemporary Accounts of the Crew Members. The voyage of the Hopeful labour recruiting vessel from May to July 1884 ended with criminal charges and death sentences (quickly commuted) for several senior crew members. It was the first time that charges against people engaged in that traffic had “stuck,” and resulted in the kind of penaltiesContinue reading “The Crew of the Hopeful”

The Witness for the Prosecution

At the commencement the feeling against the accused was very, strong, but as the story unfolded itself, and the crown witnesses were found, with one exception, to be coloured people-the solitary exception being a disgruntled ship’s carpenter belonging to the Hopeful-some of whose evidence was strongly suspected of being tainted, a complete revulsion of feelingContinue reading “The Witness for the Prosecution”

The Career of “Professor” Russell in New South Wales.

Well, this might have worked in rural Queensland, but the good citizens of Newcastle did not feel the need to make “Dr. Sir George Russell” part of their medical fraternity. The bright lights of Sydney A few months later, Professor Russell fetched up in Sydney, opened premises at 146 William Street, and began to advertiseContinue reading “The Career of “Professor” Russell in New South Wales.”

The Career of “Professor” Russell in Queensland

Part 1 – the professor of the comb and scissors 19th century Queensland was a place where a person could change their fortune and make a new life. In some cases, people completely reinvented their lives. An ambitious hospitality worker married her way up to the squattocracy, not troubling herself with the messy and expensiveContinue reading “The Career of “Professor” Russell in Queensland”

January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.

On January 12, 1872, Attorney-General Ratcliffe Pring attended Queensland’s Parliament in a rather excitable condition. His behaviour in the House led to his expulsion, then his arrest in Dalby while carrying out Circuit Court duties. (This is a repost of the Ratcliffe Pring story.) A Detective hits town On Monday 22 January 1872, a plainclothesContinue reading “January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.”

The Goldfields Riot – January 7, 1867

On the afternoon and evening of Monday 7 January 1867, a group of Europeans, estimated to be between 200 and 500 in number, terrorised the Chinese population at the Crocodile Creek gold diggings. When the mob was finished, many were injured, and just about every Chinese person in the township had lost everything but theContinue reading “The Goldfields Riot – January 7, 1867”

The Prendergast Confession.

This is the published confession of William Prendergast, referred to in the previous blog post. “When I first saw Hartnett, he was between Mrs. McMann’s house and mine. I went on towards him and he was coming towards my house, I looked out at the upper side of the house towards Brunswick Street, to seeContinue reading “The Prendergast Confession.”

The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.

A quiet, early morning row down the river by two men intending to go to New Farm and look for lost keys was shockingly interrupted by the sighting of a dead body on the riverbank. They notified the ferryman, who called in the Kangaroo Point police. A young man was lying dead on the rocksContinue reading “The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.”

The Burning of the Fiery Star

THE BURNING OF THE FIERY STAR The logbook of Chief Officer William Sargent showed that the Fiery Star took twelve days to reach the south end of New Zealand, passing by on the 12th of April 1865. The journey had been proceeding as planned, although strong seas had destroyed two of the longboats on theContinue reading “The Burning of the Fiery Star”